Midland man accused of killing someone trying to take back an ATV has been charged
A man accused of fatally shooting someone who came to his Midland home to take back an ATV has been charged, according to court records.
Prosecutors charged Lawrence Connor Norton with second-degree murder Monday for the death of 34-year-old Ryan Douglas Irey.
The 31-year-old pleaded not guilty at arraignment, and Pierce County Superior Court Judge André Peñalver set bail at $250,000.
The Sheriff’s Department said Irey and friends had gone to Norton’s home to take back an ATV they’d traded for drugs.
Charging papers made these allegations about what happened:
Norton called 911 Aug. 17 and said he shot someone who tried to break into his home in the 7400 block of 20th Avenue East.
Sheriff’s deputies responded and found Irey on the ground near a truck. He appeared to have a gunshot wound to his head and was dead when deputies arrived.
Irey was shot five times, according to the medical examiner.
Norton and his girlfriend spoke with investigators. The woman said four men came to get property and one tried to shoot her. Norton shot Irey, she said.
Norton told investigators he and Irey had been friends, but had a falling out last year. He knew Irey from selling small amounts of drugs and that Norton dealt to him, he allegedly said.
He had agreed to store Irey’s ATV, generator and leaf blower.
Irey “was saying a bunch of things and being a s---ty person and wanted Norton to allow him to come get his stuff and Norton didn’t agree to it,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said.
Several vehicles showed up as Norton and his girlfriend were leaving for the grocery store, and the vehicles almost blocked them in. Irey was allegedly one of the drivers.
Norton managed to drive around and got several hundred feet away. Then he drove back to try to get them to leave. He fired a couple shots in the air, then hit Irey without firing and told him to go.
When Irey reached for something, Norton fired.
He also said about a year and a half ago Irey sent him a text message that threatened his life.
Investigators didn’t find a weapon near Irey’s body.
The men who’d been with him left before sheriff’s deputies arrived.
Investigators searched the home and said they found firearms, $5,000, pills, a scale, several baggies that tested positive for methamphetamine and several baggies that tested positive for heroin. They also found something that didn’t field test positive for cocaine that they plan to analyze further.
